1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the present invention relate to landline and wireless networks. More particularly, embodiments of the present invention relate to systems and methods for landline access to wireless networks.
2. Background Information
The proliferation of wireless networks, such as cellular telephone networks, has impacted the business of landline telecommunications service providers. For example, landline telecommunications service providers, such as the regional Bell operating companies (“RBOCs”), have operated networks of pay telephones. Demand for pay telephone services has declined, however, based at least in part on the proliferation of wireless network services. This decline in demand for pay telephone services has resulted in a decline in revenue for many landline telecommunications service providers.
Expansion of wireless networks can be expensive. For example, when a wireless service provider expands its service area to cover a new geographic area, the wireless service provider typically has to build (or lease rights to) a wireless services transmission tower to transmit wireless services to users and provide connectivity between the new wireless services transmission tower and the wireless network of the wireless service provider. Construction and operation of (or the leasing of rights to) a wireless services transmission tower can require substantial expense and market risk.
Users of wireless services may experience service problems based at least in part on the limited geographic reach of a wireless network. For example, known wireless networks can have “shaded” areas were users cannot establish reliable communications with the wireless network, due to a lack of a signal from a wireless base station, due to low signal strength, and so on. A user can, as an example, have a residence that is situated in a geographic depression or in an area behind a ridge or hill from the wireless base station. While the user cannot engage in reliable wireless communications from inside the shaded area, users in the general surrounding area outside the shaded area can engage in reliable wireless communications.
An example of a more widespread shaded area occurs when a wireless service provider establishes wireless network coverage of a metropolitan area and major commuting routes to the metropolitan area. Users that commute from exurbs or rural areas to work in the metropolitan area can engage in reliable wireless communications while at work in the metropolitan area or on or in the immediate vicinity of the major commuting routes, but may not be able to engage in reliable wireless communications while at home in the exurbs or rural areas.
Users can be disadvantaged by an inability to engage in reliable wireless communications. A wireless service user (e.g., subscriber) typically has a service contract with a wireless service provider. The service contract can include a monthly fee, service features, and billing features. Examples of service features can include an amount of peak (i.e., business hours) airtime provided by the monthly fee (e.g., 300 peak minutes per month), free nights and weekends airtime, no additional fee for long-distance calls, no additional fees for long-distance for calls made from a home area, no roaming fees, etc. When the user is unable to engage in reliable wireless communications, he may be unable to take advantage of wireless service features provided by his service contract. In view of the foregoing, it can be appreciated that a substantial need exists for systems and methods that can advantageously provide for landline access to wireless networks.